This invention relates to packing plastic cylindrical containers into trays having generally cylindrical pockets that are adapted to support large plastic containers such as 2 liter soda bottles in spite of a relatively unstable base provided on the plastic container itself. The trays are so defined that the spacing between the pockets for these containers is uniform not only within each particular tray but also within trays located in end-to-end relationship with respect to one another.
Prior art packers for trays of this type generally require that the line of containers be periodically stopped, and for drop packing of an array or slug of containers in accordance with current drop packer technology. The primary aim of the present invention is to provide for continuous motion of both the containers and the trays with the result that the containers are synchronized for movement with the trays in order to allow the containers to be lowered into the tray pockets under controlled conditions and without the usual necessity for dropping the containers.